Wolf Song
by x-Aaya-x
Summary: Tetsuya, a clever, grey wolf, makes his way to escape his own cruel pack to join another. With many adventures along the way, he makes new friends and discovers a new chance for love.
1. Chapter 1

A young wolf demon waited for the rest of his family to finish eating, and then it would be his turn. Born as the runt in his family was nothing special; he made sure everyone was done, Tetsuya picked what was left of the elk carcass. As he finished, what little meat there was, he began to chew the bone.  
He chewed greedily when his older sister came to check on Tetsuya, she nipped him hard on the scruff of his neck.  
"Ow..." He backed down in submission as the older wolf smirked.  
"You know that father gets first pick in bones."  
Tetsuya glared, "Fine…"  
He sat next to the family's elm tree, the area Tetsuya's father had claimed for them, his family of six. The wolf pack they were in was rather large, with a total of about forty-two wolves in all, including his family.  
In the morning, he knew they would probably go on another raid so he ate as much as he could. The pack would attack villages for food and also to train the younger wolves in combat. As he saw his older sister picks the last good bone, he groaned as he walked toward the area of the elk carcass.  
He picked the best bone of the little few that was left, although small, it would ease his hunger through the night. _Tomorrow is the day...the day I leave this pack forever._  
As the sun was barely rising over the horizon, the dream Tetsuya was having been interrupted by Makai, his oldest brother.  
"Get up you lazy dog, the rest of the pack is already up and ready."  
The grey wolf jolted up knowing he'd probably be punished by father later for 'dishonoring' his family, he would be punished, _if_ he stayed. Today was the day he planned to escape the tyranny of the pack for good, he only told one other wolf of his plan to escape. A she-wolf named Lena, a small dark gray wolf born in a noble family of four. She had only a brother, but she was more important to the family because she was a female, for females were the only ones that could bring heir to the family. As he ran toward the area where the rest of the pack was gathered, Lena padded silently over toward him, and she called him to the area she was hiding,  
"Don't tell me you're going through with this crazy idea of yours?"  
Tetsuya had been practicing using his human form and he had moved to his human form, his white hair shining, and his amber eyes gazing. He flashed a smile,  
"Of course, though I still can't see why you don't want to join me."  
She followed his example and used her own human form, her golden eyes filled with worry,  
"No ones ever tried leaving the pack before."  
He'd been watching the humans and was learning to do as they do. He figured if he made it out of this mess alive he might find a village to stay at for the time being. He fingered through her silver, white hair. As she felt him do this she blushed and turned away knowing if her mother saw her close to Tetsuya, she would be punished severely.  
"Lena...I know this isn't the life...for us."  
He looked at her with his amber eyes, Lena couldn't resist those charming looks but she couldn't get herself to look at him.  
"Tetsuya, you must understand, there can't be an 'us'. Even if we were seen together like this, we'd be punished...it just can't work."  
"Who needs the rules? If you follow me, it can work."  
He smiled gently once more, "You still can join me. I'll wait for you on the edge of the forest on the south side of the village. He began to walk toward his own raid group as Lena watched solemnly. The attack was quick, the early morning hours of the attack caught the earth bending village off guard. Tetsuya attacked as few villagers as he could but he wanted to show the older wolves he wasn't slacking.  
In the midst of battle, a gray wolf darted between the earth-bender homes to the area where he said he'd meet Lena. He watched the battle from the safety of the bushes when he was suddenly pinned to the ground.  
Makai snarled, "What is the meaning of this?"  
The black wolf wouldn't allow Tetsuya to move; Tetsuya struggled against his strength but realized it was useless. The gray wolf growled lightly, "I don't know what you're talking about."  
Makai's growl grew deeper, 'You know exactly what I'm talking about, now speak."  
Tetsuya refused to say anything and as soon as the fight was over, he was taken to the council of the pack. The council was made up of several Elders of the pack, who have made great victories for the pack but could no longer battle.  
Tetsuya entered casually but on the inside he was completely frightened, the red wolf in the center was covered in many scars and probably seen more battles than Tetsuya even heard of. The red wolf stepped forward, "State the boy's crimes."  
Tetsuya heard of many wolves that had gone under trial for various crimes but he didn't think he would ever have to undergo the same thing.  
Makai growled lowly, "I have reason to believe he was planning to escape."  
"Escape? No sensible wolf would try and leave our pack."  
"But I heard him speaking of such with a she-wolf."  
"No wolf is allowed to be alone with a she-wolf."  
"But he has defied our laws. Bring her in."  
A pair of wolves brought forth Lena, the small gray wolf looked as if she were about to faint. Her legs were trembling and she followed the pair quietly.  
"Is it true that this wolf spoke to you?" The red wolf waited for the she-wolf to wait impatiently.  
Lena was about to open her mouth to speak when she was stopped by Tetsuya, he growled, "Don't say anything, Lena!" He turned toward the Elders, "She had nothing to do with this! Leave her be!" The wolf was taken aback for his sudden outburst, "Do not speak unless spoken to, cur. Although it seems you are well acquainted with the she-wolf." He motioned the pair of guard wolves, the pair began to attack Tetsuya and he was knocked to the ground. His fur was beginning to be matted with his own blood. He snarled as he could no longer move, He was trying to fight back when another pair of wolves soon stopped him. The jaws of four wolves were deep in his fur, he growled but he knew he didn't stand a chance against them.  
Lena could no longer take the sight of Tetsuya bleeding on the ground; a small pool of red blood was forming around the wolf.  
"No, he's wrong! I was the one who came up with the idea of escape! I told him to meet me on the south side of that village!"  
Tetsuya lifted his head as he growled weakly, "Lena...no..."  
He was losing consciousness from the loss of blood and the rest of the trial was a blur, but the last words rang through his head.  
"Kill her."

Tetsuya awoke surrounded by a group of the pack's finest wolves; his wounds were still bleeding but not as profusely. The grass around him was stained with his own blood, his eyes widened as he suddenly remembered the last words in the trial. He got up quickly and growled toward the nearest guard, "Where is she?"  
The guard turned toward him, his golden eyes gleaming from the moonlight, "So you're finally awake, cur."  
"Answer my question!"  
The dark gray wolf snarled and pushed Tetsuya to the ground, "If you mean the she-wolf, she's been long dead. Pity, she looked as though she'd make a good fighter." Tetsuya growled, "Don't say that!"  
"Say what? She accepted her fate willingly"  
Tetsuya fell silent: _She died for...me? My...idea? That was supposed to be my fate...not hers..._  
A cold, melodious howl filled the night as the moon slowly set. The night was torture for Tetsuya when he saw the body of Lena being dragged away. He could remember the wonderful scent of her soft, warm for and her sweet voice awkwardly saying, 'I really do like you, Tetsuya.' for the first time.

Tetsuya could hardly think straight for the next few days, he couldn't care less about the wolves around him. The days were a blur, he refused food or company. Even his own mother tried speaking to him, but it was like talking to stone.  
Eventually, his body began to deteriorate and grow weak and his wounds grew steadily worse. Tetsuya could only think of Lena and the memories they once shared. It suddenly occurred to him that he should continue with the plan to leave the pack. Although now that the wolves were watching him more closely; he would escape in memory of Lena or at least die trying.  
A few days had passed and he had formulated his strategy of escape. At night, he noticed a small group of younger, inexperienced wolves on guard in the northwest corner of the territory. This was the weak point in the packs' defense. He'd also have to deceive another pair of wolves who now guarded him carefully also, they were placed here to make sure he wouldn't try to escape once more.  
Tetsuya was now ready, he moved to get up but the older wolf caught his movement, "What are you doing, cur?" He growled viciously. Tetsuya looked at him innocently, "I only would like to visit with my...mother. And I believe privacy is due.", he said coolly.  
The wolves looked at one another and the older wolf nodded. Tetsuya knew the older wolves would allow him to do so because they followed the old traditions. A wolf's bond with their mother was sacred in the eyes of the wolves, but the younger generations were no longer following these values.  
Tetsuya made his way to his family's elm tree. He looked back at the two wolves and noticed they were talking among themselves and no longer paying attention to him.  
He moved toward the northwest and saw the group of younger wolves, no much older than himself. The leader of the group snarled, "Who are you, wolf?"  
Tetsuya was surprised that they hadn't recognized him but then again they probably didn't even know what Tetsuya even looked like. They had heard of the commotion a young wolf named Tetsuya had caused in the pack, but they were only told to keep an eye out for the wolf but their guard was in vain.  
Tetsuya stiffened his back, hair bristling, and snarled maliciously, "Back down. I'm on an errand for the Elders." He bared his fangs to the young wolves causing them to put their tails between their legs submissively. The leader lowered his head and nodded lightly, "Go then, my apologies for disturbing you."  
Tetsuya almost let out a sigh of relief but held it in carefully, he trotted quickly past them, not moving too fast fearing they'd realize sooner or later he wasn't a high-ranking wolf. As soon as he was far enough away, he began to run. The smell of the wolf territory was becoming more and fainter as he smelled the more natural smell of the earth; the fresh soil after the rain, the pines, the small creatures hidden in the night, and the smell of trickling water. His paws hardly touched the ground as he ran away from his childhood home. He was born and raised in that pack and he never knew what the 'true' wild was like. His eyes caught the movement of the mice darting in the long grass and the shadow of an owl, whose wings were silent as the wind rushed past them. The gray wolf was surprised how much he'd been missing while eating the carcass of animal's his parent's had given them. He began to imagine the exhilaration of the hunt and how the animal's warm blood must have felt.


	2. Chapter 2

He began to sniff for the mouse he'd seen in the bush of the undergrowth, he pushed his snout into the bush and heard a squeak. His ears perked as he saw it fly past him, he tried to pounce on it but he was far to slow. His paws hit nothing but the soil and he began to give the mouse a chase. He darted through the trees never taking his eyes of his prey. He'd almost given up hope with the fruitless attempts of capture, but he gave it one last pounce when he felt movement under him. He almost yelped with fright but realized he'd caught his first kill. Although small, this was a magnificent triumph for the lone wolf.  
With this new sense of the world, the gray wolf ran given his energy from the mouse and the full moon. The rising of the full moon excited him more than anything, though the hunt was close to exciting him as much. This night was beautiful, his escape was perfect he even caught his first animal but his thoughts returned to Lena. He ran until he was utterly exhausted and collapsed on the ground. He curled up to a small elm which made him remember his home, though he didn't care about them anymore, he'd been a thorn in their side since he was born. He was panting heavily but the only thing that mattered was he was free.  
He eyes reflect the white light of the moon as his eyes began to close,

"We did it, Lena. We escaped.", he whispered into the night. He felt safe and warm for once since he was born by the elm tree in the cruel, merciless pack.  
The sun was warming him as he opened his eyes, it blinded him at first but his eyes soon adjusted,

"I slept late..." He yawned, he felt as though he'd had a full night's rest for once. He looked at his surroundings, the faint scent of a different wolf territory was near a tree but it was old and he wondered if they had left. He turned his head to the left and in front of him were the large, gazing eyes of two wolf pups.  
He unintentionally resumed his human form and he stepped back into a tree, the wolf pups surprised him, he was sure he'd be able to a least feel their presence or smell them. The three wolves stared at each other until the one of the wolf pups broke the silence,  
"Who are you?", it had asked curiously.  
Tetsuya saw they were only a few months old but it was likely they were probably part of a larger pack.  
"Tetsuya...", he said cautiously.  
The wolf pups looked at each other and then returned their gaze to the older wolf, the second one asked this time,  
"Where are you from?"  
Tetsuya knew he should definitely not tell them of where he came and of his escape; he didn't want to make his first impression as a deceitful dog. He decided to make up a story and used something he'd heard while listening to the villagers. Ever since he was younger, he loved to listen to the humans and what they did and said. They had amazing stories of far away lands and about wild beasts they'd slain. His parents never approved of these nighttime escapades and would only let them out of their sight during the day, even then he'd leave the territory to see the villages nearby, using his form of a human boy to disguise himself and even enter the villages.  
"I came from the highlands, otherwise known as the 'mountains', where the snow falls everyday and the winters are harsh. My pack consisted of my family and we lived off of the creatures called 'caribou'." He had no idea what a caribou was so he figured neither would the wolf pups, who listened carefully to each word, obviously intrigued by his story.  
He continued, "Although, my family was tragically perished in an avalanche that occurred after one of the worst snowfalls we'd ever had. The cold was unbearable and we made the decision to move to lower grounds where the snow fell only one season but I was the only wolf who survived the trip." He was now just adding detail, just to make it more fantastic.  
"I've been traveling for more days than you have been alive, searching for a kind wolf pack to allow me to join. I have been unsuccessful so far..." He was quite satisfied with his own story, knowing if another wolf had repeated the story, he surely would have believed it.  
The wolf pup looked up sympathetically," Maybe...you could join our pack?" The wolf looked at the other and the second wolf pup nodded excitedly, "Yeah!"  
The wolf pup was about to say another word when he was suddenly interrupted by the coming of another wolf. It was a small, red she-wolf who was obviously in a panic.  
"You two! How many times have I told you not to wander off far from the territory?" She trotted quickly to the pups when she realized what they were staring at. She stopped, her hair rising on the back of her neck, "Come here!", she said fearfully.  
Tetsuya saw the wolf, "I mean no harm..." but he was interrupted by the wolf,  
"Now!" She shrieked the young wolf pups tried to protest but they did as they were told and followed their mother's order grudgingly.  
The following events happened so fast that Tetsuya hardly knew what to do; the red wolf disappeared in a flash and soon after a group of wolves had taken Tetsuya to the pack leader. The encampment of the wolves was large from what he saw. There had to be at least a hundred wolves there, he was surprised the humans hadn't found them but then there wasn't a human scent for miles.  
The leader was a burly, strong gray and silver wolf who seemed kind, though he had seen his share in battles. "Why have you come to us, younger brother?"  
Tetsuya knew that the separate wolf packs followed traditions differently but this was the best he'd been treated ever. Even the guards had treated him kinder than his own family and he had begun to enjoy this. He was thoroughly contented as he began to repeat the story he told the wolf pups. "My pack was killed in the great avalanche on the highlands. I merely seek a kind pack to have me as one of their own." He was about to continue with his story, feeling he needed to add a little more when he heard the barks of the two pups he'd met earlier.  
"It's true, Lord Hinaro! We've met him before! Please...please, please...let him join our pack?" The pups wagged their tails hopefully. Hinaro tilted his head, "You do seem to be kind enough. I shall allow you to join, though I warn you, one wrong move and you are out, wolf."  
Tetsuya wagged his tail playfully, "Okay." He was allowed to leave and he walked to the pups, as they ran through his legs. He watched them, "Thank you."  
The older pup nodded, "You're welcome, Tetsuya!" He smiled and began to walk through the territory. The families were numerous, considering the small valley but none seemed to mind, in fact, Tetsuya found it rather cozy. He noticed a wolf standing alone farther away from the pack, gazing longingly toward the pack. Tetsuya asked the puppies, "Who is that?"  
The pups followed his gaze to the lone, white wolf, "That? That's Ryota...he doesn't need any attention."  
"Why?"  
"You sure ask a lot of questions...well, he's had a rough past and our mother won't allow us to speak to him. He seems rather dark to us..."  
"And scary…" Added the second pup.  
Tetsuya continued to look at the wolf, "What happened to him?"  
"I don't know exactly except for the fact that his father is Lord Hinaro and his own mother has long been dead."  
Tetsuya nodded as he saw the white wolf disappear into the darkness of the forest and he turned to the pups, "Thank you for the tour, now I will take my leave." He bowed to the pups who wondered what he was going to do. Tetsuya took on his human form. He looked like a human around the age of 17 with white hair and dark, amber eyes. He flashed them a smile as the two pups stared in awe, "How did you do that?!"  
"It's really simple, I'll show you sometime tomorrow, but I need to go now."  
The nodded as they watched him leave, impatient for tomorrow to arrive. Tetsuya wanted to explore the area as well as talk to Ryota. He seemed rather alone and he knew the feeling all too well. Being shunned from his family was hard enough but with his eccentric ideas he was also shunned by the pack. He felt terribly alone with no one to talk to until he'd met Lena by the elm one evening; he was surprised she even spoke to him. Lena...  
He suddenly caught the scent of the wolf and began to run lightly through the forest, he jumped along the treetops cautiously, just in case this wasn't the wolf he was looking for.  
He finally heard some footsteps up ahead and he leaped to the ground softly. Up ahead, another wolf in human form stood there, his hair was also white though more spiky but his eyes were a dark yellow. He stopped and turned toward Tetsuya, "You can just leave now."  
Tetsuya stepped forward, "I only want to talk...Ryota."  
He narrowed his eyes, "You know me? You're the new wolf that Hinaro allowed to join...he's been going so soft lately."  
"Yes...but..."  
"I don't want to talk."  
"Really? You seem the type to really want to."  
Ryota raised an eyebrow, "Damn persistent, aren't you?"  
Tetsuya grinned, "It's not my best trait..."  
Ryota leaned against the tree, "So, what did you want to say? Patience is not my best trait."  
Tetsuya sighed, he thought Ryota would refuse to listen to him; this wasn't the type of wolf Tetsuya had been expecting, "So...I hear you're not the type for friends..."  
Ryota growled, "That's what they told you? Heh...well, I guess they'd be right. They are the ones who don't talk to me. It's been that way since..."  
"Since..?"  
"I don't know why I'm telling you this..."  
Tetsuya nodded, hoping that Ryota would tell him, "Please...go on."  
Ryota looked away, "They never told you about my sister did they?"  
"No."  
"Well, it goes something like this...my mother had me with Hinaro, but she'd fallen for a...human. I had a sister but the pack banished both my mother and my sister where they'd fallen prey to rogue wolves. That damn human left my mother when he'd found out that she was a wolf."  
Tetsuya could see that it pained Ryota to talk about it, though he knew that wasn't the entire story; he decided not to ask about it much anymore.  
"You've had it rough...my childhood wasn't all that great either."  
Ryota remained quiet, clearly he was no longer interested in talking, but Tetsuya continued,  
"Well, I see you've had enough. Meet me here tomorrow and we could talk."  
"Talk?"  
"Yeah...well, just about anything really. You can ask me questions too." He smiled as he saw the night was coming to a close and it was becoming brighter as the sun was rising. Ryota looked at the wolf for awhile and turned to leave.  
"I can't guarantee that I'll be here."  
"That's quite alright, but I'll still wait."  
A white wolf soon left the clearing leaving the gray wolf alone in the morning hours; the wolf lay on the green, moist grass and closed its eyes. It lay contentedly on the grass and soon curled up. Two black pups appeared and lay next to the gray wolf. The three wolves rested for the remainder of the cool day, the color of the leaves were coloring into the reds of autumn.


	3. Chapter 3

Tetsuya awoke during the dusk hours, he yawned and saw the two wolf pups beside him, and he smiled and stretched. He padded quietly over to the stream flowing nearby; he lapped up a few cool gulps of water and sniffed the air. He suddenly smelled a familiar scent, his tail wagged as he followed the scent quickly. He heard the same footsteps from last night and returned to his human form, it was Ryota.  
"I'm glad you've showed up."  
"Yeah...I just had nothing else to do, believe me, if I did, I wouldn't be here at all."  
Tetsuya smiled, "Okay."  
Ryota slowly turned to face him," Actually...you're the only one who actually tried talking to me. It surprised me at first. I thought one of the wolves put you up to it but I realized it was just you, Tetsuya. No one ever talks to me much...but don't think I'm going to give you my life story."  
Tetsuya nodded and sat down and leaned against a tree, "Of course, I won't ask if you don't want me to. I'll still keep my promise; you can ask whatever you want about me."  
Ryota stared at him and raised an eyebrow, "Fine. Is what you told my father about your own pack, true?"  
Tetsuya laughed lightly, "Of course not. I just said that to appease Hinaro."  
Ryota also sat down, "So...what really happened to your pack?"  
"I'm from the southern wolf pack."  
Ryota's eyes widened slightly, "The southern pack? Korei's pack?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Those are the wolves who challenge humans openly and I've heard they aren't the pack to mess with..."  
"I guess you could say that's true. It was because of that, I escaped..."  
"Escaped?"  
"No wolf is allowed to leave the pack...but I just couldn't spend the rest of my life there, besides, I wanted more than treachery, thievery, and deceit. I've attempted one time before my actual escape...with the cost of the life of a dear friend of mine." Tetsuya sighed, wondering if he should tell Ryota of Lena. Ryota was listening now; his story was getting more and more interesting, so he just had to ask, "Who was it?"  
Tetsuya smiled and looked toward the rising moon, "A cute, little wolf named Lena. We were supposed to escape together...but it went terribly wrong. We were caught and...she saved me...but at the cost of her own life."  
Ryota nodded, "Yeah...it seems you lose the ones you love, as if fate has turned against you..."  
Tetsuya looked at Ryota, "Now don't look at life like that, there is always the good side to bad things. She helped me escape...though there is always that guilty feeling in the back of your head...it was _my_ idea to escape...not hers."  
Ryota sighed lightly, he didn't mind listening to Tetsuya's story but this was reminding of him about his own past. "That's enough. I need to return to my father, he requires my assistance nowadays. He is getting rather old; I'm surprised he is allowed to be pack leader anymore."  
Ryota stood up and began to walk back to camp as Tetsuya also got up and followed him, Ryota moved his eyes to Tetsuya, "And you're following me because...?"  
Tetsuya smiled, "Because there's nothin' else to do right now."  
Ryota returned his gaze ahead of them, "It's bothering me."  
"Why? Because you have a friend now?" Tetsuya smiled.  
Ryota growled, "You are _not_ my friend."  
"Of course."  
The pair had entered the valley and the wolves all stared, someone was actually talking to Ryota? Tetsuya helped Ryota ignore the stares, "Just act as if they aren't there. Who are they to judge you?" Ryota nodded sullenly, "Right."  
Hinaro's area was toward the center of the valley, where a large oak tree sat; Ryota was born there and felt safe once they were away from the wolves. "They all irritate me...I wish I could leave..."  
Tetsuya gave him a smile, "Believe me, you're life would be much worse without a pack. Just ignore them."  
Ryota continued to growl lowly, "Why do you even care? We hardly even know each other and you act as if we'd known each other for life."  
Tetsuya continued to smile, "I just do. You seem interesting and I wouldn't mind having you as a friend, no matter your past."  
"_I_ seem interesting? Am I just a passing interest?"  
Tetsuya laughed, "Why must you be so untrusting all the time?"  
"No one seems to trust me, so why should I trust them?"  
"Have I given you any reason to believe that I can't be trusted? Besides, I trust you. You seem to me a pretty complicated wolf though rather confused about his life. I consider you my friend even if you don't consider me as one." He smiled and for the slightest moment Tetsuya thought he saw a hint of a smile on Ryota's face.

Tetsuya was out stalking again, hoping his luck might pull him through to another kill when he heard the two familiar barks. He stopped and looked over to see the pups racing toward him, "Why, it's you two again."  
They nodded and ran up to them, "Tetsuya...you said you'd teach us."  
"Oh, I did, didn't I?"  
They nodded, "Pleeease!"  
Tetsuya sat down, "I'm afraid I don't even know you're names and yet you've been so helpful to me lately."  
The first puppy, whose fur was a slightly browner color than his brother, looked up at Tetsuya, "Well…my name is Taro, and I'm the oldest!" The pup looked very proud for being older, as the darker pup grumbled.  
"That's Shinji, he's the runt."  
Tetsuya looked at him and pawed Taro playfully, "That's no way to treat your brother."  
Taro growled faintly and pounced on Shinji, "Sure it is!"  
Tetsuya suddenly resumed his human form, "I'm sure this was the reason you two came." He smiled as the pups wagged their tails and nodded excitedly.  
"Well, it's not too hard, back in my old pack..." He remembered that he didn't tell the two the truth about the southern wolf pack and he paused for a second.  
"Back in my pack, we were taught this when we were very small, about your age. All you need to do is picture the form you want to take and then you must concentrate. Taro let's try you first."  
Taro was already concentrating but nothing seemed to be happening, Tetsuya encouraged him, "Do you have a mental picture?"  
Taro nodded, "I do...is anything happening?"  
Shinji tilted his head, "Nothing yet, brother."  
Soon, where the brown wolf pup stood was a small boy about the age of seven, Shinji wagged his tail, "You did it!"  
Taro was elated, "Tetsuya, I did it!"  
Tetsuya smiled, "You sure did, now how about giving Shinji a try, eh?"  
Shinji nodded though he seemed rather shy, Tetsuya picked up the pup, "It's okay. It doesn't hurt, does it, Taro?"  
Taro shook his head, "Come on, Shinji!"  
Tetsuya set Shinji down, "Now concentrate."  
Shinji followed his brother's example and he easily assumed the form of a boy similar in appearance to Taro. Shinji opened his eyes in amazement, "I can't believe I did it! But I was much faster than you, Taro." He smiled and Taro suddenly grabbed Shinji mouth, Shinji cried out, "What are...you doing?!"  
Taro opened Shinji's mouth, "Look! He still has his fangs!"  
Tetsuya nodded, "It takes awhile to look completely human but you two did extremely well."  
Shinji pushed Taro away, "So this is what a human sees. They're really tall."  
Taro was examining his brother, he had dark, black hair similar to his fur color and he still had gold colored eyes. "Shinji. You do look human. Can we go to the village, Tetsuya? Please? I'm sure no one would recognize us as wolves!"  
Tetsuya smiled gently, "No, maybe when you're older. How about that?"  
Taro was whining, "Awww...that'll be ages!"  
Tetsuya patted him on the head, "I'm sure it won't take long for you two to grow up."  
Shinji smiled proudly and grabbed Taro's hand, "Should we show Mama?"  
Taro nodded, "Thanks Tetsuya! You're so amazing! I wish you were our brother!"  
Shinji smiled, "Me too, I wish you were our brother too!"  
Tetsuya smiled, "Who'd want you two as their mischievous little brothers, eh?"  
Taro tackled Tetsuya who was taken to the ground as he laughed, "Now, I suggest you return home. Your mother is probably worried about you. We don't want her thinking I've eaten you."  
Shinji laughed, "She won't, will she, Taro?"  
"Nope."  
The two boys soon left in a hurry, excited to show their mother their surprise for her. Tetsuya grinned as he watched them leave; he got up and brushed himself off. "Those two are a handful. Now, back to the task at hand."  
The gray wolf had spotted a juvenile rabbit as he said this and took off. It was too fast for the wolf to catch on his own and the rabbit escaped. Tetsuya was panting heavily as he returned to the valley, it disappointed him but he knew that he'd catch one later, with luck. He saw the wolves in the valley assembled around Hinaro's oak tree and he wondered what was going on. He trotted over quickly to the oak tree and he saw that a black wolf was giving out orders.  
"We are gathered here to ready ourselves for the next attack."  
Tetsuya's ears perked as he heard the word 'attack', surely this pack couldn't have the similar values of his old pack.  
"We will choose the strongest, quickest, and most capable of each family. We have found the most vulnerable village, our attack begins tomorrow night."  
The wolves began to disperse as Tetsuya trotted over to the oak where he saw Ryota with his father, "What's going on?"  
Ryota looked over toward him, "We are preparing ourselves for the next attack."  
"Attack?"  
Ryota sighed, "Do you know nothing? When our pack runs low on supplies, we go into the surrounding villages and 'take' things we need. Understand?"  
Tetsuya tilted his head as he sat on his haunches, "Why not just get supplies yourself...y'know, hunt?"  
Ryota growled,"It's the way it has been done for generations."  
Tetsuya nodded, "I see. Do you go along with this?"  
"Of course."  
"And you...just go along with it?"  
Ryota turned to look at him, "Why do you ask questions? Just let things be."  
Tetsuya smiled him, "Well, I was just saying..."  
The two wolves watched the families of wolves preparing themselves to rest for the day, Tetsuya caught two boys tackling each others and he knew that they would be the future of this pack, and he wondered about his own pack, wondering if his own family missed him at all. _Probably not; why would they miss a disgrace like me?_ He knew he felt as if he belonged here, everyone had been kind to him and he even had two little brothers now and even if he didn't consider it himself, he'd found a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

Tetsuya had awoken to find the pups beside him once more, as he scanned the area he noticed the pack was partially gone. He yawned and got up, the pups hardly budged from their deep slumber. He trotted over to the large oak but Ryota and Hinaro were gone, he realized they must have left for their attack. Why must they steal? If only I could tell them all there is a much simpler way... He saw the sleeping families around him, they all looked so peaceful, a family...He weaved around the sleeping wolves trying to pick up the scent of Ryota and the rest of the pack.  
He circled the valley, unable to pick up a scent, he wondered where they could have possibly went but they had to leave the valley somewhere. The sun had already set and he knew he was getting farther and farther behind.  
The scent suddenly came to him, among the grove to the south, he ran swiftly toward it wondering how long ago they had left the valley. The scent was still fresh so it couldn't have been to long ago, he crept along the forest floor, listening carefully, and making sure he knew they were there before they could see him.  
His ears perked as he heard some sounds up ahead, it sounded like the pack; he lifted his nose and sniffed the air lightly. It certainly smelled as if the village was close by, the unique aromas of the market, humans, and fire.  
He was creeping closer to the pack when he heard a voice behind him, "What are you doing here?"  
He turned to see it was Ryota, the white wolf looked annoyed by his mere presence, "I just wanted to see what's going on."  
"Well, there is no place for you here. You don't know what to do."  
"I can learn."  
Ryota looked at him and soon moved past him, making sure to brush past Tetsuya's shoulder rather roughly. "Follow me." He said gruffly.  
Tetsuya nodded, noticing the white wolf's rough push, but Tetsuya could see why Ryota was annoyed, but to his own surprise, he seemed to enjoy annoying Ryota. Ryota could tell Tetsuya was excited and thinking about something to get him to smile mischievously like that, he averted his eyes ahead of him, "Stop acting like a kid."  
Tetsuya nodded, "Of course, Ryota."  
The other wolves were also in their illusions of human form, Tetsuya and Ryota had followed their example. They were gathered around another small grove about a mile away from the village, the wolves sat in silence, as if they were waiting for something. Tetsuya watched curiously, "What are they doing?" he whispered.  
"We sent a scout earlier and are now waiting for his return."  
Tetsuya nodded when he saw a wolf come toward them, he looked as though he had strength, he had black hair and unusually yellow eyes, he grinned as he saw Ryota. Tetsuya noticed he had also extremely white teeth, then he realized who he was, it was the wolf that was addressing the pack the day before; the black wolf. The black wolf spoke to Ryota, "I see you've brought your friend along."  
Ryota looked at Tetsuya and looked back to the wolf, "He is not my friend, Kazuo"  
Kazuo smiled, "Sure he isn't, Ryota." He soon directed his attention to Tetsuya, and patted him on the back, "I remember you. You're the wolf who came from nowhere and decided to join us."  
Tetsuya looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "To put it bluntly."  
Kazuo continued, "So I assume this is your first raid?"  
"Uh...yes, it would be the first."  
"I'm the second-in-command around here but you don't have to call me 'sir' or anything." He smiled warmly, "I just don't work like that. And this little guy right here, is my nephew." He gestured to Ryota, Tetsuya raised an eyebrow but held in his laugh, Ryota only glared at Kazuo, "Shut up...I...never mind..."  
Kazou smiled and tousled Ryota's hair, which he took grudgingly, mumbling something about Kazuo.  
Tetsuya returned his gaze to Kazuo, "So, how does this attack begin?"  
"It's more of a thief run. Take as much as you can. You keep what you take."  
Tetsuya nodded, he figured that if he still wanted to remain in this pack was to assimilate into their culture and tradition. He didn't like the way they did things, but who was he to change it? A noise was heard ahead and all the wolves looked toward the location of the sound. Ready for anything, the wolves waited, a large gray wolf emerged, Kazuo moved quickly toward the wolf. "Is everything set?"  
The grey wolf nodded, his form was a dark-skinned man in his late twenties, "Yes, we are prepared to begin."  
Kazuo turned to the small pack of wolves, his voice was a hushed loudness, soft enough not to wake the nearby animals yet loud enough for the rest of the wolves to hear. "Assemble the groups. We'll split up and surround the village. Wait for the signal."  
Ryota grabbed Tetsuya's arm and pulled him over toward the smaller group heading for the east, Tetsuya looked back and saw the wolves had disappeared already. Ryota released his arm when they were closer to the small group of other wolves. There was a blazing red-haired boy about the same age as Ryota, a slender dark-haired man who seemed much older than both of them, as well as an older man who was the oldest of the group, his hair was graying, and also a girl with silvery white hair; Tetsuya made a mental note to familiarize himself with the others later. As soon as Ryota and Tetsuya were near, the group took off into the dark forest.  
They were fast, some faster than the warriors in his old pack, but they must be used to moving this quick, this pack's strength was their speed not their physical strength, especially if they used she-wolves in their raids. Back in his pack, the she-wolves were surely their weakest point in the raids, they may have been fast but their combat and strength couldn't compare to the male wolves. The wolves were a few meters ahead, he had not run this fast in awhile but he guessed he'd better get faster if this is what they must do often. The smells of the village were much stronger, and his eyes could catch the light of the burning torches. The intense smell of the smoke was making his nose itch but he ignored it. He kept the wolves ahead of him in sight, he'd catch glimpses of them every once in awhile but his attention was toward the village. Few humans wandered the paths but as he neared a house, he could hear the breathing of its occupants. He wanted to see more but he knew if he stopped he'd lose them for sure.  
As Tetsuya saw they had finally stopped ahead, Ryota gave him a look, "Took you long enough. Now we must wait."  
Tetsuya nodded and leaned against a tree looking toward the village, "We could sneak through a path back there. It didn't have as many humans on it and it hardly had any torches."  
The older wolf looked at Tetsuya curiously, "You know much of these humans. What are 'torches'?"  
Tetsuya realized that the wolves in this pack had not studied the humans as he had and he looked back toward the wolf, "A torch is the carrier of their fire."  
The boy spoke up now, "Those humans have fire because their weak eyesight isn't as good as ours at night."  
Tetsuya nodded, "Come."  
Tetsuya led the way toward the worn footpath, he remembered that it was past a ripe blueberry bush, and realized why the path was worn. The humans use these for food, unlike the wolves they cannot only consume meat. Tetsuya shook off the thought, knowing there was a more important task at hand. The wolves were following him closely, "It was right around here." He whispered quietly as not to wake the resting humans. He knew the humans rest at night because that is when they are at their weakest, with the inability to see, it was as if they were wandering blind.  
He stopped and looked down the path, to his surprise there were no humans around, he turned back toward the group, "It is best if we leave now."  
Ryota protested, "We must wait for the signal. Didn't you hear Kazuo? He said..."  
Tetsuya interrupted him, "I know what he said, but don't you realize? This is the opportunity we've been waiting for." He pointed down the path, "No humans here."  
The slender wolf nodded, "He does have a point. We should take this chance."  
Ryota grudgingly agreed, "Fine...but if Kazuo were here..."  
The girl finally spoke up, "Ryota. This is the perfect moment. Quit whining, you're a big boy now."  
Ryota glared but said nothing, he followed but was the last one to enter the village.  
The group soon split up, the Market was nearby and they scattered themselves among the village. Tetsuya soon found himself alone, he sighed and continued along the path, he saw a human ahead but he'd acted strange, staggering along the ground. He saw Tetsuya and stumbled toward him, "Got any extra items on ya'?"  
Tetsuya stepped back, "Huh?"  
"You know..."  
"I'm sorry, sir, but I..."  
"I may be drunk...but I know a rich villager when I see one." He hiccupped lightly.  
"Drunk?" Tetsuya never heard of the term before but this human couldn't tell him any different, so he continued to step back further.  
"Now hand'em over." The man soon slipped out a concealed knife, causing Tetsuya to panic, he'd never actually been confronted by a human before. He soon realized he still had a speed advantage over the staggering human. He grabbed the man's wrist, which caused him to drop the knife, "Please. I don't want any trouble."  
The man struggled against him but the wolf was clearly stronger than him, "You're a strong one, aren'tcha boy? Fine, I won't cause ya any more trouble if you take me to the pub."  
"Pub?"  
"Y'know...I don't think I can make there on my own. My legs feel rather...not themselves."  
Tetsuya wondered what a 'pub' could possibly be but he needed to get this human off his back, but he also seemed like a nice human, aside the fact he'd almost attacked him. He didn't want to blow his cover so he assumed that the stench of the man must be the building of the same smell. He took an arm of his shoulder and nodded, "Fine. Come on."  
He could smell it from here, it was very powerful, and it was lit up with a blazing fire in the center surrounded with men of similar appearance...and smell. He set him down on a bench and the man looked up at him, "I have to thank ye. My apologies."  
Tetsuya just nodded, "No need to thank me."  
"Well, if you need sumthin', I might not have it but y'never know, just ask anyone around here about Hitachi. That'll be me, everyone knows me. I'd be happy to do ya a favor, if I'm sober that day." He let out a hearty laugh followed by a cough, "Now. Another round of beer."  
A large man came out and handed Hitachi and Tetsuya a mug, Tetsuya smelled the liquid and dropped the cup and covered his nose. This was where the smell came from, Hitachi grunted as he saw the spilled mess, "What a waste...not a drinker?"  
Tetsuya realized it had been awhile since he'd left the group, "I'm sorry, Hitachi...but I must be going now."  
Hitachi grinned, "Fine, fine. Good night, m'boy."  
Tetsuya walked away calmly but he realized he must smell like that awful water, he sighed as he quickened his pace. He had to show that he'd stolen something; he saw a closed stand and lifted the blanket over the goods. It was a food cart, filled with fish. Fish was certainly not his favorite food of choice but he grabbed a few, now he smelled like bad 'beer' and fish.  
He returned to the path with the blueberry bush where the others were waiting, Ryota raised an eyebrow as Tetsuya returned. The red-haired boy grabbed his nose, "You stink...badly."  
Tetsuya smiled sheepishly, "Yeah...I got...caught up in something."  
Ryota just looked at him, "You do smell. The signal was already made and now we can return to the valley with our items. I see you have...fish. Very original, that is for sure."  
Tetsuya followed them lagging behind, this had certainly been an interesting night, he'd even befriended a human. The older wolf soon stopped and waited for Tetsuya, "You did well. This is your first thief run, is it not?"  
Tetsuya nodded, "Yeah, it is."  
"You have quite the knowledge."  
"I've been watching humans a lot."  
"I've noticed, but I'm glad you joined our group."  
"Ryota gave me no choice."  
"Heh. That boy has quite the way with words. He may not admit it but you are his friend. I hear he even looks up to you."  
"Really?"  
"Yes, but enough of this, let me introduce myself, I am Hotaka. The others are afraid of you for befriending Ryota. So I shall introduce them myself. The red wolf is Takeo. The slender gray is Satoru. The she-wolf is Takane. Each have their own personality and not all are like Ryota." He laughed gently, "Takeo is the youngest of our group, he still has much to learn. Satoru he is not much older than you, he is very intelligent, but also quiet. He'll come around sooner or later, once he knows he can trust you. Takane, she is very arrogant but ignore her comments, if she degrades you, it's her way of saying you are accepted."  
"I don't believe that has happened yet."  
"No, but you seem a nice enough wolf. I'll put a good word in for you to Hinaro."  
"Hinaro? Please...that is certainly not necessary."  
"Oh, but it is. You are welcome to my share of meat any time, Tetsuya."  
Hotaka moved forward and Tetsuya continued to stay behind, Hotaka seemed very wise and accepting. He returned to the valley with a smile on his face, even though he smelled awful, his mood was the exact opposite. The pups tackled him, asking him so many questions they began to confuse themselves. He told them of his adventure with Hitachi and Hotaka, they listened closely as he kept them up through the morning with his story.  
As the pups slept at his side for the third night, he smiled as the sun slowly rose to its peak in the sky. He felt an odd, special feeling that he'd made friends with Ryota and Hotaka. Hotaka seemed respectable enough, Tetsuya couldn't believe Hotaka would tell Hinaro about him. Tetsuya hadn't spoke to Hinaro since he first came, all he knew was what Ryota would tell of him. He still couldn't believe that Ryota looked up to him. He thought Ryota disliked him more than respecting him, but he was wrong, and he was glad that he was.


	5. Chapter 5

Tetsuya had spent the next few days exploring the area, with the twins as guides to the valley. He knew there were at least three villages in the surrounding area, far enough, so the humans had no idea of the wolf packs' whereabouts. He felt compelled to at least visit the villages.

He decided to enter the largest, the beautiful city of Hinoti, where he would not be easily recognized, and after much debate, he decided to take the twins after hours of their unrelenting pleading.

He decided to keep this from Ryota knowing he'd probably say something against it but the pups were eager to see the human village. He had to think of a reason for the pups' mother, Minagi, she was very protective of the pups but she knew Tetsuya well now and he may not even need an excuse.

He entered the village in his human form, carefully avoiding Ryota, but he now had his own fan group. A group of older female pups who thought Tetsuya was the absolute best. The group of girls waited where Tetsuya had woken up earlier before, he'd thought it was annoying that they could see so much in him. He let out a sigh, wondering what they would do today seeing that he'd be gone for much of it.

He slunk through the village carefully, making sure not to receive any 'unwanted attention'. With Minagi in sight, he knew it would be simple after this, _So close…now just to think of a good excuse…_, he continued on, when he suddenly saw a red streak in front of him. It was no use, the collide wasn't too loud, but they did receive Minagi's attention. Tetsuya knew that red fur anywhere; he rubbed his head lightly as the two wolves were on the ground,

"Takeo, it's nice to see you around."

There was now a boy in front of him groaning lightly also rubbing his cheek, "Hey, Tetsuya…where are you going? To see Minagi?"

He nodded, as he looked up, as he saw the she-wolf give him a strange look, he smiled and waved lightly and returned his gaze to Takeo.

"Yeah, I just wanted to tell her something."

The pain subsided but he noticed the boy seemed flustered; Tetsuya raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously,

"I didn't hurt you that bad, did I? I'm very sorry."

"No, it's not that…"

"Well, what is it?"

The boy stared at the ground, it looked as if he was debating over something, and he looked up at Tetsuya,

"Okay. Promise not to tell anybody?"

Tetsuya tilted his head, "Of course. I would never break a promise from a friend."

The boy cheeks reddened, "I…um…sort of…like Minagi…"

Tetsuya looked back toward the she-wolf who was now doing something on her own, forgetting about the two all together. He stood up and grabbed the boy's hand and lifted him up off the ground.

"Do you now?"

He wondered how old Takeo really was and if he liked Minagi, where was the twins' father. He looked back, toward him and smiled,

"I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me, and I promise, I won't tell anyone."

Tetsuya turned to leave, but was soon stopped as he felt a tug on his shirt by Takeo. He turned around back toward the boy, who seemed determined.

"I told you why I was here. Now you have to tell me your reason. It's only fair."

Tetsuya let out a laugh, "I guess that's fair. Now you have to promise me you won't tell anyone either."

Takeo nodded, "I promise."

"Shinji, Taro, and I are heading over to the Hinoti village soon, and I have to give Minagi a good excuse to where I'm taking them."

Takeo nodded, "Really? Mind if I join you?"

Tetsuya thought a moment and soon nodded, "You may join us, and it would probably take most of the day. Do you have any plans later?"

Takeo shook his head, "None that I know of."

Tetsuya nodded, "Okay, if you can, go find the twins and ask them to wait for me on the path heading toward Hinoti."

"Alright." The boy soon took his leave and disappeared down the path, Tetsuya turned toward Minagi.

She had also acquired her own human form and looked as if she were gathering something from the ground. He stepped forward into the small clearing, where her auburn hair glowered from the sun's rays. He saw she was gathering a type of plant, he wondered what she would do with it next. He formulated a plan and decided to begin,

"Minagi?"

She turned and her amber eyes turned toward him, her eyes were rich and beautiful and he almost couldn't utter the next word. _She's extremely beautiful…and young…I can see why Takeo liked her in the first place…._

"May I help you, Tetsuya?"

"Um…"

He forgot what to say but it soon came flooding back to him and he regained his composure,

"Forgive me. I wonder if you would allow me to steal away your children for the day?"

She laughed, "I don't mind, just be sure to have them back before nightfall."

"Thank you. May I ask why you are gathering plants?"

She looked at the leafy, green plant in her hand, "This is an herb. One of the wolves has a terrible stomach ache and this will alleviate his pain for the time being."

"Really? I wouldn't have known."

"That is why I'm assigned the task of gathering it. No one really knows what the power of plants can do. All they rely on is the meat they steal, but knowing the earth you live on is very important…to me anyway. I'm sorry, but I must be wasting your time. You don't want to hear me talk about greens anyway…"

She turned away but Tetsuya smiled,

"You aren't wasting my time, it is why I asked, I wanted to know; you have some useful knowledge, Minagi. Maybe I could hear your complete story of herbs and their uses someday; I anticipate the time that day arrives. For now, I must take my leave."

"As did I, Tetsuya, be sure Shinji and Taro are safe, though I know with my heart you'd keep them safe with your life."

"And I will."

Tetsuya began walking toward the trail leading toward the Hinoti path, thinking of Minagi, as questions flooded his mind. _She seemed extremely tense before…but now it's as if she's relaxed around me. _He smiled as he saw Takeo and the twins, he waved, grinning widely.

Taro was the first to run toward him, followed closely by Shinji, "Tetsuya! Are we ready?"

Tetsuya brought a finger toward his lips, "Now we mustn't be too loud."

Taro received a light hit from Shinji, "Sorry…"

"It's quite alright. Now then, let's see if you have been practicing your shape shifting."

He picked up Taro first, he was light but still wasn't entirely too small, he examined him closely. "You look perfectly human, Taro. I would have never guessed you were a wolf."

Taro smiled widely as he was set down, as Tetsuya dropped down on one knee and looked at Shinji.

"Smile for me Shinji."

Shinji gave him a grin and Tetsuya returned the smile, "It looks as if you have some fangs, Shinji."

Shinji brought a hand toward his mouth as he brushed his finger over the point of his canines. He sighed, "I was sure I got it right this time, Tetsuya…"

"As long as you don't smile, Shinji, you'll be fine."

Shinji let out the biggest smile he could give as Tetsuya turned toward Takeo,

"Are you ready?"

Takeo nodded as he began to walk down the path, the twins ran ahead as Takeo remained behind with Tetsuya. He wore a dark green shirt with a hood and cargo pants, he also had his hair slightly longer in the front but cut short in the back. _He certainly has a sense of style._ Tetsuya's gaze returned toward the front, he usually kept his hair long enough to have a set of unkempt bangs, but his hair had always remained a silvery-white; he still wondered where he'd gotten that from, even though he was a gray wolf. He wore a white tank that hung low, with another blue tank on top of it. He had black cargo pants also like Takeo's, he looked over at the two twins, they were wearing exactly the same thing, and the only way you could tell them apart was there separate hair color. They wore a large orange sweater, both wearing a hat, and pairs of jeans. He knew they would fit right in, a little eccentric clothing but they'd fit in just fine.

The path winded through the woods, though the overgrown grass shown the lack of use the trail had.

He let out a small sigh and continued on when he noticed Takeo looking up him; Tetsuya was a bit taller than him but not by much.

"Hello, Takeo."  
"How old are you?"

"Eh? What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer…"

Tetsuya smiled and returned his gaze forward watching the two boys sniff the trails and wander around.  
"I'm 19."

"You seem older."

"Do I?"

"Yeah, that means…you're four years older than me and two years older than Ryota."

"Ryota is 17?"

"M'hm. Why are you always with him? There are a lot of other wolves you could be with. I hear a lot of she-wolves fancy you." He smirked wryly as Tetsuya looked down.

"I know but I guess they're just not my type."

"Then why, Ryota?"

"I suppose…he just needs a friend. He was raised to be serious so I guess he needs to learn how to have fun."

"I doubt that will happen."

Tetsuya looked at him, raising an eyebrow," And why do you suppose that is?"

"I don't know."

"Probably because it's people like you who don't allow him to have fun."

Takeo remained silent and soon they caught scent of the city of Hinoti. The smells were similar to the market aroma except a few scents neither of them could recognize. The pups' excitement grew with each step drawing closer to the city, but as soon as the entrance was in sight, they immediately drew back behind Tetsuya and Takeo. Takeo looked around in awe, he'd never seen such a large human establishment, but Tetsuya only smiled at the sheer size of the city. Tetsuya led the way as they moved closer toward it, he was sure no human could recognize him but just to be safe he stayed away from the intimidating looking guards.

The rest stayed close to Tetsuya while he held the hand of Shinji while Takeo held Taro's. Once they were further away from the guards, Tetsuya let go of the pup's hand as he let out a small sigh of relief.

"I doubt that we would be found out but we always need to be cautious. The humans can be ridiculously cruel when it comes to beings not similar to themselves."

Shinji automatically grabbed Taro's hand; he looked up at Tetsuya,

"I didn't know it was so scary here. These smells are making my nose burn."

Tetsuya looked at Taro and gave a gentle smile as he ruffled Taro's hair a bit,

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough."

Tetsuya saw the gesture didn't lighten the mood so he continued onward, when he caught the scent of something peculiar. He motioned for the others to follow while he took off down the empty street.

He peered around the corner to see a bustling street but no one seemed to notice them. Shinji tugged at Tetsuya's shirt,

"What is this place?"

Takeo decided to speak this time,

"Oh, I know what this is. It's the place where humans come to exchange things for things they don't have themselves."

"Ooooh.", said both the pups in unison.

Tetsuya wandered out from behind the building and went toward the nearest stand, looking at the bright and shiny objects. He picked one up and examined it closely, the vendor noticed him,

"That would be finest piece of jewelry in the entire Hinoti area."

Tetsuya nodded, "It is very beautiful."

He placed it back down, wondering if this 'necklace' was the thing the female humans wore. He noticed a few wearing some but they were a variety of color and shapes, the pups and Takeo remained where they were, watching Tetsuya carefully. Takeo saw his excitement looking at the human 'things'. Takeo leaned against the building when he suddenly noticed a human child staring at the three of them.

"Shinji. Taro. Come here quickly." He managed to whisper harshly.

Shinji and Taro immediately obeyed and ran to Takeo's side, wondering why they had done so. Takeo continued to look at the girl when she suddenly started to walk toward the trio. Taro and Shinji both stiffened and grasped Takeo, frightened, unsure of what they should do.

The girl watched the three with interest; they seemed very unusual for this part of Hinoti where the poorer families shop. She came closer and smiled,  
"Hello!"

She reached out one of the twins' hands when she saw a red-colored dog where the older boy stood. She froze, _What happened to the red-haired boy?_

The wolf was snarling viciously and the girl brought her hand back immediately, she was too scared to even move. Tears soon welled up in her eyes, as she began to cry,

"Please…don't eat me…"

She hardly managed to speak between her sobs when one of the twins grabbed her hand gently. She opened her eyes and saw the boy with darker hair had held her hand. She wiped away her tears and noticed the dog was no longer snarling. The boy seemed concerned and tightened his hand,

"Please don't be frightened. He won't eat you."

She let out a small smile but could not take her eyes off the red dog; she was still shaking from fright.

"Your doggy seems…unfriendly."

Shinji had absolutely no idea what he was doing but he felt he could not let the girl continue to cry. He knew that the girl must have figured Takeo was a dog and he decided to go with it. He looked back at Takeo,

"Bad dog."

He lifted his other hand and hit him sharply across the nose, as Takeo let out a high-pitched yelp. He let out a growl and sat down as Shinji returned his gaze toward the girl,

"See he's okay."

"But...I was sure I saw an older boy with you?"

Shinji paused for a second, wondering what he should come up with, _Oh…if Tetsuya were here, I'm sure he'd know what to say._ He smiled and looked back toward Taro,

"What boy?"

"He was really tall and had the same color of hair as your puppy."

"By the way, my dog's name is Takeo. And this is my brother, Taro, and I'm Shinji."

Taro waved timidly toward the girl as she returned the gesture,

"Thanks for telling _Takeo _to stop, Shinji. My name is Ana."

Shinji nodded, wondering if he'd managed to veer her off the subject of Takeo. He noticed the girl staring at him and he tilted his head.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Shinji…you have pretty eyes."

Shinji blinked for a second and realized she was talking about his golden colored eyes; he looked down and began to feel a burning in his cheeks. _If she's noticed my eyes…what else has she noticed? I hope not my fangs…that would be horrible if she found out._

She saw him look away and she tugged at his hand,

"You don't need to be embarrassed."

Taro finally managed to speak up, even though he wondered what could have possessed his brother to actually talk to a girl and a human no less.

"So, Ana…What are you doing over here?"

She looked at Taro, "Why, I live just around the corner. I was playing outside when I saw you guys. I didn't know you lived around here. I thought I was the only kid who lived around these parts."

"But we don't…"

Shinji interrupted him quickly, "Well, we just moved here a few days ago."

"Really? I'll finally have someone to play with! This makes me so happy!"

"Heh."

Shinji was about to say something else when he saw that Tetsuya managed to return in the middle of the discussion. He carried a few pieces of food and he paused to see the odd appearance of everyone and they seemed to be talking to a human child.

"Well, I seen you've made a friend, Shinji."

"Yes, I was just taking the _dog _out for a walk."

He emphasized the word 'dog' hoping Tetsuya would get the idea, as Takeo let out a low growl from behind him.

Tetsuya grinned, "The dog, huh? So who's this lovely, young lady?"

Shinji looked back at the girl, "This is Ana."

"Ah. Hello, Ana."

"Hello."

Shinji thought for a moment and turned back toward Tetsuya, "This is my…uh…big brother Tetsuya!"

Ana nodded, "I can see the resemblance. He has the same color of eyes as you, Shinji. Though his hair is white and yours is black."

"M'hm."

"I know! I can show you where I live so you can visit me anytime!"

Shinji looked at Tetsuya hopefully and Tetsuya nodded, "Let's see where your friend lives."

Shinji nodded as Ana took the boy's hand and ran down the street. Tetsuya watched the two take off and he waited for a moment.

"Let's go Taro. Don't forget the _dog_."

Takeo looked up at Tetsuya and growled, "Shut up…"

Taro followed Tetsuya as they made there way down the street, coming to a building, where Shinji and Ana were waiting out front. It was a run-down building but it remained intact due to some very unprofessional mending.

"Over here!"

Ana waved toward the pair, when she noticed that with Taro and Tetsuya was the boy she saw earlier. His red hair was exactly the same color as the dog, she then turned toward Shinji.

"Who's that?"

"Eh…that's my…um…other…brother…"

"What's his name?"

"Tak-…uh…"

Shinji knew he couldn't give out Takeo's real name so he made one up on the spot,

"Takato. That's Takato."

"Oh."

Tetsuya came over with the rest as he stopped by Shinji, he managed to whisper quietly into his ear,

"We thought it best if Takeo didn't remain in his wolf form."

"Okay, he's my 'other' brother."

"Ah."

He looked back up toward the house and smiled,

"So, this is where you live, Ana?"

"Yes. You're all welcome to come inside."

Tetsuya opened up the rickety gate and held it open for the rest of them to enter. Shinji and Ana went inside together followed closely by Taro as Takeo managed to linger behind. Takeo paused before entering and turned toward Tetsuya,

"Is this a good idea? I'm sure Lord Hinaro would not like us interacting with humans…"

"Shinji has made a friend and I have a feeling there's something more between them, if you know what I mean."

Takeo grumbled and stepped past the gate and Tetsuya closed the gate,

"By the way, your name is Takato now."

Takeo growled and entered the house with Tetsuya following. They had entered a living room area, Shinji and Ana were sitting on the sofa. Shinji was looking rather shy as he was sitting as far as he could away from the girl, with Taro next to him sitting on the floor with his back leaning on the couch. Takeo stayed close toward the door while Tetsuya examined all the things in the house.

"So, do you have parents?"

The girl looked at the wolf and looked away,

"Actually, I live here with my older sister."

"Oh, where is she?"

"She's at work. Ah! She should be home soon! You guys can meet at her!"

She got up and ran toward the window and grasped the sill and looked out impatiently.

Shinji stayed where he was and looked back at Tetsuya,

"Should we go?"

Ana turned and looked at Shinji, she ran over toward him and grabbed his hand pulling him up off the couch.

"Please stay!"

She turned toward Tetsuya and looked up toward him with determined eyes; she grabbed his shirt and tugged on it.

"Will you stay Tetsuya?"

"Well.."

Tears were welling up in her eyes as she stepped back and she used her arm and wiped away her tears. She ran upstairs and they all winced as a door slammed. Shinji looked at Tetsuya,

"Um...what should we do, Tetsuya?"

"I suppose we'll have to talk to her."

"I'll do it…"

Shinji ran up the stairs and knocked on the door, he could hear Ana's weeping on the other side, _What did I do? I didn't know she would cry… _He opened the door slightly and peered through the crack.

"Ana? It's me Shinji."

He opened the door completely and walked across the creaking floor toward the bed Ana was lying on.

"I'm sorry if I said or did anything... to offend you."

She lifted her head and wiped away her tears, and sat up next to Shinji.

"I'm sorry, Shinji. I didn't mean to…it's just that I thought you would leave and it reminded me of something that happened a long time ago…"

Shinji looked at her and set his hand on hers,

"You don't have to tell me."

"But I want to. It's just when I was little my dad left me and my sister. He'd said he would return when he had the money to take care of us better…but that was two years ago and I haven't seen him since. And I haven't had any friends…no one wants to talk to me because I'm not rich like them. When I thought you were going…I just couldn't help it…"

"It's okay. I kinda understand. My dad's gone too…"

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

She turned and looked up at his eyes and a smile formed on her tear-streaked face,

"I still love your eyes, Shinji."

"Thank you."

Tetsuya had begun to worry when he went up the stairs, he opened the door he saw Ana sleeping on her bed. In her arms she held a small, black wolf pup that was also resting contentedly. He smiled as Taro looked in; he looked back up at Tetsuya,

"What are we going to do?"

"I think we can wait until her sister arrives."

"Okay."

The pair returned downstairs and told Takeo what was happening upstairs, but he only nodded as the puppy curled up next to the girl in the room above them.


End file.
